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View from the Isles

LAS OLAS
Mobility Plan

Raises Questions
By A Collaboration of Isles Residents

n 1893 Frank Stranahan opened a trading post and ferry And new projects keep coming. Oceanside Park has become
on the banks of the New River. In a 1979 article the Fort a popular venue for events, the Aquatic Center is a premier
ILauderdale News wrote “He chopped his way through the location for competitive swimming. Our Downtown has
palmettos and the mangroves roughing out a road to the beach added thousands of residents with new amenities and
which he called Las Olas, the Spanish name for ‘The Waves.’” activities. And Las Olas is the road that not only takes
Other homes such as the Annie Beck house (1916) were residents to and from their homes but visitors from around the
built along Las Olas. By 1917, a bridge was being built world to the many popular destinations on the Beach and to
over the Intracoastal. Development of neighborhoods in the our vibrant new Downtown.
Isles section of Las Olas began. Shops, restaurants, and By 2012 representatives from many of the civic associations in
businesses opened. The first major hotel opened on the corner the Las Olas Isles as well as Colee Hammock began meeting
of Andrews and Las Olas in 1919, the first movie house in to discuss concerns with safety, mobility and connectivity on Las
1923. In the 1920’s, a median with Royal Palms was added Olas. Eventually representatives from the Downtown, Beverly
in the Isles section of Las Olas as a memorial to those who Heights, The Venetian, and Marine Tower joined the
fought in World War I. conversation. What were some of the concerns?

As Las Olas continued to evolve, a 1971 Fort Lauderdale Traffic Congestion: Particularly during the season and on
News story reports “Fort Lauderdale’s improvement of Las weekends, residents found it difficult to get in and out of their
Olas Boulevard has won the City first prize in a nationwide neighborhoods.
contest to demonstrate the compatibility of highways and the EMS Response Times: Traffic congestion, narrowing of
environment.” With 723 entries, what won first place for Fort roads, frequent events without adequate traffic planning all
Lauderdale? “In the Las Olas project, median island and curb contributed to making the response times among the worst in
areas were landscaped in a $73,000 cooperative venture
the city. (cont. pg 36)
between local businesses and the city.”

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